


We’re in This Together Now

by Evian_99



Series: Aphrodite’s Favourite Pastime [1]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Blowing up a school bus can do that apparently, Ghost King Nico di Angelo, Halloween, M/M, Percy is a living legend amongst mortal high school students
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-02
Updated: 2020-11-02
Packaged: 2021-03-09 07:21:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27347314
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Evian_99/pseuds/Evian_99
Summary: In Percy’s defence: how was he supposed to know his boyfriend could summon the dead? It isn’t something that comes up in a normal conversation like talking about your pets does. And then he suddenly belongs to this weird group of demigods?
Relationships: Nico di Angelo/Percy Jackson
Series: Aphrodite’s Favourite Pastime [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1997101
Comments: 7
Kudos: 118





	We’re in This Together Now

**Author's Note:**

> A direct sequel is in the make, I will try to link it once I come around writing it :)

It is Halloween Eve and Percy is gathering all his courage to ring the doorbell. He is dressed as a gender-bent Ariel, complete with the red wig and a more than uncomfortable tail. Regarding mobility, the costume is guaranteed to not win any prizes, but he likes to think he looks handsome enough.

The lady on the bus definitely seemed to think so, though she could’ve just as easily been humouring him. Old ladies tend to do that he has noticed.

Nico’s mom opens the door. Her beauty stuns him into silence and it takes an awkwardly long while for him to discover how to use his voice again. ‘Hello madam Di Angelo.’ His cheeks are burning. He despises it, but he can want to his heart’s content and there’s nothing that will change it.

Luckily, Nico’s mom either doesn’t seem to notice or just doesn’t care—Percy desperately wishes it to be the first. She smiles at him, stepping backwards to allow him to enter. ‘He’s almost done, just has to do some last-minute costume adjustments.’ Maria winks at him in the sort of conspiratorial way that he doesn’t grasp the meaning to.

The Di Angelo home is of the stately sort, with gleaming marble flooring in the entrance hall and abstract paintings that are sure to cost a small fortune on the walls. He’s always scared to accidentally destroy something every time he steps a foot inside. Though he’d never admit it to Nico, he’d rather meet at his mom’s place. While their apartment is small and decidedly not in the good part of town, it is cosy and—well… _home_.

No-one ever has to pretend there to be someone they are not. There won’t be anyone that will look at him with disapproval if he gets dirty or scrapes his knees.

In the living room he can hear a classical song being played on the piano. It sounds really angry, making him reluctant to disturb the person playing inside. Now standing awkwardly beside a vase as big as himself, a gentle push from Maria gives him no choice in the matter.

And so Percy goes in, tripping over the carpet after not five steps. He mumbles an apology, taking in the man behind the piano. This must be Nico’s father, he realises. Inadvertently tensing, the teenager can’t rip his eyes away from the figure. The aura of power the man exudes has thrown him off-balance, unsure of how to act.

He jumps when madam Di Angelo places her hand on his shoulder, gritting his teeth as she laughs. ‘This is my husband,’ she says, ‘He has just returned from his business trip to Italy. Have you ever been there?’

Mutedly he shakes his head. He knows they’re from there, so it makes sense for mister Di Angelo to have travelled there, but the furthest he’s ever gone from home is Montauk Beach, which has always been awesome.

He refuses to feel ashamed of that.

‘Mom!’

Percy can’t thank the Powers That Be enough for Nico’s timely rescue. With a broad smile he turns around, promptly gaping as he sees the outfit his boyfriend has chosen. Dressed in a trench-coat embellished with occult symbols and a crown made of bones, he has done his nickname Ghost King proud. ‘Wow’, he breathes.

His boyfriend gives him a shy smile, waving at his outfit while saying: ‘You rook rather enchanting yourself. We’ll only have to fix you a crown and you’ll be a true prince of the seas.’

Behind the piano, mister Di Angelo coughs to hide what sounds suspiciously much like a laugh. Nico sends the man a glare that promises painful murder if he speaks up, making the man raise his hands in mock defence.

‘Sorry,’ he croaks, ‘sore throat.’

Feeling a lot like a lost puppy, Percy looks back and forth between the two as he tries to pinpoint why the man feels so dangerous. Deciding that it’s best not to ask any questions, he hops over in his tail to link his arm with Nico’s. ‘Shall we?’

Not looking away from his father, the teenager answers: ‘ _Sì, mio amore_.’ One more warning look to his mother and Nico draws them both out of the house. Only when they’ve rounded the curb and are safely out of sight of the mansion’s inhabitants does he slump a little. ‘He didn’t do anything… strange, right?’

‘Who? Your dad?’ At the other’s nod, Percy shrugs. ‘Not really. I mean, he didn’t even look up from the piano when I came in, and I certainly didn’t want to disturb him.’

‘No’, Nico whispers. It is said more to himself than to him. ‘I can imagine.’

Percy doesn’t know what to do with his boyfriend’s strange behaviour, but he feels too scared to ask what it’s all about. Ever since the incident with that strange man at the movies, the Italian has been brooding and pulling away from him.

They walk in silence for a while, both at a loss on how to break the tension.

‘Those people really went all out’, Percy says, pointing at a house that went all in on the GhostBusters theme. He bites his lip, still hesitant whether to go for the confrontation. He really doesn’t want to mess anything up between them, but knows it is inevitable.

He decides to be a smart person and postpone it just a tad while longer.

‘Do you think Thea’s parents coloured the pool red again?’ His classmate at Lincoln High School gives the best Halloween parties. They always follow a theme, though it stays a surprise till the moment the guests arrive. It will be the first time that he’s taking his ‘plus one’ to the party, and that somehow is even more nerve wrecking than his upcoming school trip.

And all that’s holy knows that those always end in disaster.

‘What about poison green? Would be a lovely match to your eyes.’ Nico gives him a cheeky wink, causing them both to laugh and break the tension for good.

Elbowing him, he shuffles along with determination. They’re mixing with increasingly more dressed up teenagers, all going to the party. It’s uphill here and that has Percy struggling. At least when he goes downhills, gravity helps him a hand along.

‘You know…’ Nico’s tone is full of mischief.

Looking at him with an imitation of the raised eyebrow his algebra teacher is famous for, the merman folds his arms.

Nico’s smile widens to a grin as the one and only ghost king suddenly sinks through his knees to sweep Percy up in a princess carry. He laughs at the other’s startled shriek, saying dramatically: ‘Fret not, my beloved! I will carry thee to the moon and beyond.’ Leaning in closer, he whispers: ‘At least all that weightlifting has now come in useful.’

Around him some of Percy’s classmates whistle. ‘Awesome costumes, man!’ One shouts, with a girl a bit further back complaining to her friend why she doesn’t have a boyfriend like that. While he’s not blushing, he does feel a little flustered, and there is some pride mixed into that.

He sure is lucky to have had Nico enter his life.

Now that he isn’t walking, they’re making rapid progress. Within no time they’ve entered the driveway that’s filled to the brim with dressed up people. Directing his human steed to a fiery redhead close to the door, Percy smoothly hops down. ‘Hey Rachel!’ he greets, embracing the girl, ‘Didn’t know you’d be coming.’

The somewhat startled look that’s exchanged between his friend and boyfriend is surprising, and maybe a little concerning. ‘Do you guys know each other?’

They gape at him until Rachel finally finds her voice. ‘Yes,’ she stammers, ‘we met during a summer camp.’ She doesn’t provide any additional details, and Percy doesn’t ask for them. He’s had enough experience trying to make Nico talk about it in the past to know it will be futile. Camp is the worst time of the year for him, when he’s left to deal with Smelly Gabe all on his own with no chance whatsoever of his boyfriend rescuing him from death by boredom.

Or beatings, but he isn’t about to mention _that_.

So, instead of asking about it, Percy just hums. ‘The world sure is small sometimes.’ Changing the subject, he asks: ‘Did you already talk to Thea? My mom baked some spooky Halloween cookies as a thank you gift.’ The sooner he can get rid of the bag the better. Being dressed as part-fish, it doesn’t look well on his image to be lugging plastic with him.

Hopefully, Thea’s parents do recycling.

And again, his mind has fallen off track. _Focus_ , he tells himself, shaking his head and drawing concerned glances from the others. Hoping that they will follow; Percy starts the last leg of their short trip. ‘I, for one, am planning to check out the pool—a merman does need his water, you know.’

With as much flair as he can manage, he winks at a group of girls that are staring at them. They start to giggle, and one even makes a move to approach him, when Nico dives under his arm and pulls him close. ‘You’re not trying to make me jealous, are you?’ he asks jokingly.

Playing up the act even further, Percy thoughtfully strokes his non-existent beard. ‘Now that you mention it…’ It gets him a soft elbow in his side and they both burst out laughing.

‘If you guys want, I can bring the cookies to Thea for you,’ Rachel chips in, ‘I kind of really want to talk to her.’

‘Is that a blush I’m seeing?’ he blinks exaggeratedly at the girl, earning himself a slap on his arm. ‘Ow!’ he shouts, though his expression shows that it hardly hurt. ‘I need to know when I have to do the big brother act. It’s important!’

‘Yes, well,’ Rachel says, rubbing the back of her neck, ‘That won’t be necessary, I can assure you.’ There’s something sad in that statement, but it’s so well hidden that he isn’t sure whether he heard it correctly.

This, too, he lets slide.

With what he hopes is a reassuring smile, he hands her the cookies. ‘See you later?’

The girl smiles. ‘See you later.’

Glad that everything is seemingly alright again, Percy grabs Nico by the arm and drags him into the house. The two have to push through a throng of people, but eventually make it into the garden and to the side of the pool. With _Nightmare Before Christmas_ blasting from the speakers, they settle on some decorative rocks at the edge of the pool, holding hands all the while.

Although Percy is careful not to get his tail wet, the way they’re sitting has something magical. It’s a better reenactment than any Disney real-life action adaptation could hope to achieve. And no matter how big his love for the Little Mermaid is, he knows for a fact that his prince charming is a thousand times better than Eric will ever be.

Dancing is not something that’s possible in Percy’s outfit, but considering that Nico has never been one of dancing, it suits them both fine. Chatting with his friends after not seeing them after he’d been expelled yet again, is a load of fun. Apparently, he has immortalised himself into school legend for blowing up that school bus. It’s a dubious honour that he gracefully accepts.

Time passes quickly when you’re having fun, the cliche once more proves its truth. It’s only when Nico has left to go on a quick bathroom break that things take a turn for the… weird.

Percy freezes when the water begins to seemingly boil. Everyone that was in the pool quickly gets out, though strangely none of the teenagers give the water any thought after exiting. He stares with horrified fascination as a giant multi-headed snake breaks through the surface. It should be impossible for the pool to host it and yet it does.

He cringes as the heads of the monster sweep around, hissing and squinting with beady eyes the size of a small convertible. Maybe if he keeps his head down, it won’t notice him?

‘Persssseusssss!’

The black-haired teenager winces. Well, at least that plan can go down the drain.

At the same time the snake hisses his name, a desperate Nico screams: ‘Percy!’ His boyfriend is harnessing what looks like an authentic, ready to maim and kill, sword. ‘We need to get out here, right now.’

Not much fancying a dance with the snake monster, Percy wordlessly obeys.

Walking through a dense crowd that doesn’t see reason to step out of the way in a mermaid tail, however, is practically impossible. Nico has to practically drag him with him as the teenager stumbles over and again. Thoroughly done with running, Percy rips his arm away from his boyfriend’s. ‘Go without me!’ he shouts over the hissing.

‘No.’ With hard set determination, the ghost king pushes his merman prince behind his back. He swings his sword a few times before glancing back. ‘I wished this day never came.’

Percy doesn’t know where to look when his boyfriend effectively summons an army of the dead. The Italian has an aura of power identical to his father, though in a more diluted form. He feels a rumbling in his bones, like he’s a heavy-duty engine starting up. A sudden calm comes over him, as he analyses the fight with a skill, he didn’t know he possessed.

Nico is very talented, steering his army to attack the monster from different sides. The many heads, however, are lethally unpredictable leading to more close calls than he’d ever want for the other.

Then, after a particularly close call, Percy decides that he cannot let Nico put himself in danger like that. With a roar not misplaced in the movie _Sparta_ , the boy summons a pillar of water and launches himself into the air. He isn’t thinking anymore but acting on pure instinct. He wills the water to turn into paper-thin blades and steers them to cut and slash the monster.

It screams in agony.

Percy grits his teeth and forces the water to take the shape of a dozen spears. He blindly launches them, pressing his hands over his ears as the screams increase in volume.

Then, all is silent.

They’re both panting, heaving for breath, and shaking with the leftover adrenaline. Percy stares at Nico, pale from shock. His boyfriend has tears in his eyes, looking pained and grief-stricken. To his shock, the boy stands up and takes off on a run.

‘No, come back!’ Percy shouts, clambering upright and trying to run after a very scared looking Nico. ‘What’s going on? What even was that creature?’ He trips and falls hard, curling around himself in pain.

Nico surprisingly listened, looking very much like he’d rather not answer that question. At his boyfriend’s nagging, he screams: ‘It was a hydra, okay!’ He seems startled by his outburst, more subduedly adding: ‘The Lernaean Hydra if you want to get technical about it. It’s—’

‘A serpentine water monster protecting the entrance of the Underworld, Mr. Brunner told me.’ Percy pushes himself into a sitting position. He feels dizzy; and completely and utterly drained. It is as if that monster has opened a floodgate inside of him, and the rush of power it unleashed has left his core empty.

It’s a scary feeling.

‘Please, Nico,’ he begs, ‘Tell me the full story. What’s going on?’

The Italian deflates at that. He looks scared and reluctant. ‘Can we talk somewhere private? Your mom’s place, maybe?’

Percy nods, feeling like he’d much prefer to be in his mom’s safe arms. He needs to be helped upright, swaying dangerously before listing to the right and collapsing in a dead faint.

He doesn’t know how much time has passed when he comes to. He’s in his bed, his mom and boyfriend engaged in a hushed argument. ‘Please tell me that wasn’t real.’ The saddened look on their faces confirms his feeling it was. The teenager sighs. ‘Can I hear the real truth now?’

His mom fiddles nervously with her hands. Then, with a proclamation straight from the Harry Potter franchise, she says: ‘You’re a demigod, Percy.’

Right.


End file.
